Skip navigation
Gestalt Counselling at University of Portsmouth - UCAS

There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

Do you have a background in counselling or psychology and want to gain the practical knowledge and interpersonal skills you need to pursue a career as a gestalt counsellor? On this Gestalt Counselling DipHE, you'll learn how to help people reflect on their current thoughts, feelings and behaviours so they can better understand their current situation. This can help them deal with relationship problems and mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and stress. In year 1, you'll develop foundational counselling skills and explore all the counselling approaches available to practitioners, including humanistic counselling and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). In your second year, you'll focus on developing the practical skills you need as a gestalt counsellor, putting what you learn into practice by conducting 100 hours of supervised counselling. You'll also learn about mental health issues and develop skills you need to work with different types of clients. When you complete the course, you could top up your diploma to a Bachelor's degree. You could also work as a gestalt counsellor in areas such as education, the police service, the prison service and the voluntary sector. Alternative courses This course shares the same 1st year modules as our DipHE Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and DipHE Humanistic Counselling. It's simple to switch courses at the end of year 1 if you change your mind about which counselling specialism to study. Location This course takes place at South Hampshire College Group - Eastleigh Campus. While studying here, you can access the University's student support services and community including study support, the Students’ Union and our library's online resources. What you'll experience On this course you'll:

  • Learn from experienced, industry-trained staff who've worked in organisations or run their own private practices
  • Study modules that give you a strong foundation for your studies and future career, covering topics including counselling skills, ethics, counselling theory and professional skills and development
  • Focus on developing specialist gestalt counselling skills and knowledge in year 2
  • Apply your knowledge and skills with at least 100 hours of supervised counselling on a placement in the community
  • Build a foundation to help work towards a further professional accreditation with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) following completion of the course
  • Learn research skills, which you can apply in your career and in degree-level study after the course
  • Develop transferable skills you can apply in all aspects of your life and career in areas such as problem solving, communication, group working, planning, effective feedback and IT
  • Study at Eastleigh College with access to University of Portsmouth support and services
  • Apply for membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and get access to member resources including journal subscriptions, free courses and job boards
Careers and opportunities Gestalt counselling is a tool for helping people deal with difficulties including anxiety, depression, stress, self-confidence issues, bereavement, relationship difficulties or family problems. Public, private and charity sector settings you could work in after the course include:
  • Education
  • Alcohol and drug services
  • Eating disorder services
  • Mental health services
  • GPs
  • Police and prison services
You could also top-up your diploma to a Bachelor's degree on our BSc (Hons) Gestalt Counselling top-up course. When you complete the course successfully, you can sit the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Certificate of Proficiency to become a registered member of the BACP.

Modules

Year 1: Core modules in this year include:

  • Development of Counselling Skills (40 credits)
  • Developments in Counselling Theory (40 credits)
  • Personal Development (20 credits)
  • Professional Issues for the Counselling Practitioner (20 credits)
There are no optional modules in this year. Year 2: Core modules in this year include:
  • Counselling Specific Clients' Groups (20 credits)
  • Gestalt Counselling Skills (20 credits)
  • Gestalt Counselling Theory (20 credits)
  • Introduction to Research Methodologies (20 credits)
  • Mental Health Issues (20 credits)
  • Professional Development (20 credits)
There are no optional modules in this year. Changes to course content We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies. Therefore, course content is revised and regularly reviewed. This may result in changes being made in order to reflect developments in research, learning from practice and changes in policy at both national and local levels.

Assessment method

On this counselling diploma, you'll be assessed through: Essays Live skills assessments (role play scenarios) Individual and group presentations Portfolios of evidence Case studies Personal learning journals Professional requirements (a 'Fitness to Practice' assessment) Supervised work-based learning You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark. Feedback is central to this course. You'll get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future, as well as on your application for the 'Fitness to Practice' assessment. You'll also practice giving feedback during live skills assessments, where you'll receive feedback from your peers, as well as the assessment tutor.


How to apply

Application codes

Course code:
B944
Institution code:
P80
Campus name:
South Hampshire College Group - Eastleigh Campus
Campus code:
5

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2

This course may be available at alternative locations, please check if other course options are available

International applicants

This course is available to EU and International applicants who do not require a Student Route Visa

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

Level 3 Counselling skills qualification, Non-standard applications that do not meet the specific admissions criteria may be invited to attend an interview. Applicants must pass Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before starting the course.

Additional entry requirements

Criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland)

Applicants must pass Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check before starting the course.

Interview

We consider applicants without Level 3 Counselling on an individual basis subject to a successful interview and interpersonal skills role-play.


English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.
PTE Academic54An overall score of 54 with a minimum of 51 in each skill.
TOEFL (iBT)7979 with a minimum of 18 in Reading, 17 in Listening, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing.
Cambridge English AdvancedCambridge English: Advanced (CAE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.
Cambridge English ProficiencyCambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.
Trinity ISEPassTrinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students

There is no data available for this course. For further information visit the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

EU £6165 Year 1
England £6165 Year 1
Northern Ireland £6165 Year 1
Scotland £6165 Year 1
Wales £6165 Year 1
Channel Islands £6165 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £6165 Year 1
International £19200 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Students who are resident in EU countries: please note that the net fee is inclusive of the Transition Scholarship Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice. Fees may also go up in later years, in line with inflation. For more information about fees, go to: https://www.port.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/undergraduate-fees-and-student-finance/tuition-fees-living-costs-and-other-study-costs
Gestalt Counselling at University of Portsmouth - UCAS